Neopia’s Most Mysterious Items Unmasked
by X King of Blades
Summary: This is an article I did for the Neopian times a long time ago. Since they haven’t published it, I figured I’d put it here so it wouldn’t go to waste. NEW: Case 2 added
1. Case One: The Stuff

Neopia's Most Mysterious Items Unmasked  
  
By: xkid15  
  
There are hundreds of items in Neopia, and they all came from somewhere. Many are ordinary, and have simple origins. But some are so strange, that they defy explanation. Still others are understood by a few, who won't share the facts with anyone else. My pets and I are dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of these items, and making sure YOU know.  
  
(You might want to look up my pets, because I call them by their nicknames.)  
  
Case 1: The Stuff  
  
The hardest part of this was finding a sample. It is very hard to find, because people have taken all that they can find and frozen it so it doesn't grow. But as usual, CK came through, and found somebody who would share. I don't know how he does it, but he does it. Striker took it to "The Lab" for testing. We already knew it was alive, and Striker confirmed my suspicions that it was a colony of microscopic life forms, although we couldn't analyze it any further. Still, it reminded me of something...  
  
Our big brake came the next day, just before we went shopping. CK was hoping to make his own asparagus, and he remembered he needed sunflower seeds, but he forgot the other ingredient. I looked it up while he got ready, and it hit me. Magic Potion! When you mix the potion with the dormant seeds, they not only reactivate, but they mutate too! That's when I realized what The Stuff's growth pattern reminded me of. But why would anyone try a combination like that? Unless.  
  
And so, we made our way to the bazaar, and spoke with the 'suspect'. He admitted everything, and told us that-just as I suspected-The Stuff is nothing more than yeast on a rampage, and the Bread Master was it's creator! And so, he told us how it happened...  
  
A while back, he was experimenting with new recipes, and decided to try adding Magic Potion to the dough. As he mixed, the green potion turned purple. Once he started kneading it, it instantly started to feel different, more like elastic than bread dough. When it almost doubled in size, and small gas bubbles appeared, he knew the yeast had been activated, and it was working double-time. It now had a more sponge-like texture, and smelled hideous (even though the smell wasn't strong). He threw it away, but he had no idea what he had started. While the blob appeared to have stopped growing, it had merely slowed. When The Stuff was sighted a few weeks later, he was too ashamed to tell anyone that he created it. I would have been too...  
  
Well, what do you think? Maybe I'll even do a follow-up... 


	2. Case Two: Shadow Shield

Neopia's most mysterious items unmasked.  
  
By: xkid15 (With help from his pets)  
  
There are hundreds of items in Neopia, and they all came from somewhere. Many are ordinary, and have simple origins. But some are so strange, that they defy explanation… Oh, never mind. We've been over this before. As promised, here's our second case. This one had a bit of a loose end, maybe well figure it out some day.  
  
(you may want to look my pets up, because I call them by their nick-names)  
  
Case 2: Shadow Shield  
  
I was looking around the Marketplace, doing a little early Christmas shopping, when I saw it: a Shadow Shield. The owner let me try it out, and I was simply amazed. It was an actual shadow, a wispy bit of darkness that seemed to have been ripped from the blackest of black holes. And I knew, right then, that I had to find out where it came from. So Striker and I set out, straight to Faerieland to meet with the Uber Dark Faerie. We figured if anybody knew how that shield was made, she would. And we were right. We also figured she wouldn't tell us… Right again. Oh well, it was worth a shot.  
  
The next day, I was talking to a friend of mine, and they pointed out that the shield reminded them of the Shadow Usul. I'd had the same thought, the only problem was, we couldn't find her. Not even Wing could track her down (much to her embarrassment.) While she continued searching, I decided to talk to the defense magic keeper. She told me that she makes the shields out of strange, silky fibers that she buys in bottles from some guy in a cloak who stops by every now and then. They have a ghostly feel, and seem to absorb light. The shopkeeper bundles them up, then soaks them in a potion for 24 hours. The end result flows more like a silk scarf, and is a very good defense from light attacks.  
  
As I left the shop, Wing came out of the blue and told me to follow her. She led me a few blocks away, to a back alley where the Shadow Usul was in a fight with the Pant Devil! Apparently, the Shadow Usul's hairbrushes kept getting stolen, and she was sick of it. Wing flew up high, and came down like a bullet, streaking between the two. That light- fingered little dragon then circled the Pant Devil several times (making him quite dizzy), before stopping in midair and telling us that the he didn't have anyone's brush. I asked the Shadow Usul when her brush disappeared, and she told me that it was always right after she'd finished brushing her tail. After thinking this over for a moment, I grabbed a fistful of her hair, and RAN LIKE HECK! I got back to the defense shop, and the shopkeeper recognized the hair as the fibers in the shield.  
  
So now we know how the shields are made, but who keeps stealing the hair? If we find out, we'll be sure to tell you. 


End file.
